Something to cheer
about

Memphis cheerleaders off to Capital One Bowl

By Jeanne Kniaz

Wednesday,
December 10, 2008

The Memphis High School Varsity
Cheerleaders, comprised of, from left, Krystaver Schure, Courtney Tyvaert,
Amber Wallace, Kristen Abbey, Felicia Marcath,
Amber Bergen and Alexandra Van Buren, will spend New Years Day at the
Capital One Bowl in Florida, performing live in
a halftime program before a nationwide audience.

Photo by JEANNE KNIAZ

Christmas is here and bringing
good cheer - to young and old, meek and the bold - has been a year-long goal
of the Memphis High School Varsity Cheerleaders.

What better way, then, to begin a new year than by taking
part in the halftime show of a collegiate football bowl game to be broadcast
nationwide?

"This is an honor and great opportunity for a bunch
of girls from a small town, or any town, to be chosen to represent their
school and community at an event of this magnitude," cheerleading coach
Sheryl Van Buren said.

Seven squad members will strut
their stuff on New Year's Day at the All American Halftime Show set during
the break of the 2009 Capital One Bowl, the gridiron match that pits the
second-ranked Big Ten team against the second-place Southeastern Conference
team at the Citrus Bowl Stadium in Orlando.

Kick-off time is 1 p.m. Jan. 1
for the game that airs on the ABC network.

The Michigan State Spartans will take on the Georgia
Bulldogs this year. Last year, the Michigan Wolverines swamped the Florida
Gators with a 41-35 victory.

At this year's bowl, the halftime extravaganza will start
about 3 p.m.

The Memphis cheer team,
one component of a spectacular multi-student pageantry, will perform before
65,000 fans and millions more watching on television.

"The Capital One Bowl halftime show is consistently
hailed as the most spectacular New Year's Day production in the county,"
executive producer Bruce Hart said. "Only the nation's top students who
meet stringent All-American cast selection criteria qualify to receive this
fantastic New Year's performance opportunity. This is, by no means, an
open-call production."

The road to glory for the Memphis
cheerleaders began last summer at Champion Cheer Camp in northern Michigan - a
three-day bonding and learning conference attended by teams from across the
state.

At the conclusion of the grueling assembly, the Memphis squad was
ordained the most-improved team at the camp.

"At that time we were also bestowed the great honor
of being chosen the first of 10 teams, selected from 40 teams, to participate
at the All American Half-Time Show at the Capital One Bowl on New Years Day,"
Van Buren said.

"This is the chance of a lifetime and something I'm
sure I'll never forget," sophomore Amber Wallace said.

While it's a great opportunity for attending athletes,
it's also a great expense.

For several months the team has orchestrated activities
like car washes, bake sales and a bowling benefit in an effort to fund-raise
$1,159 for each participant.

To date, the team has raised roughly half of the needed
funds.

"Raising the funds is the hardest part because there
isn't a lot of support behind them at the school, simply because the school
really doesn't have the money there," Van Buren said. "Donations
are welcome because the girls must put in a lot of money out of their own
pocket and, with times the way they are right now, it sure would be nice to
reimburse some of that money back to them."

A donation will help achieve a dream for a team comprised
of girls, some would say, already live a dream-come-true, just by being a
cheerleader - an exalted status in the minds of many high school teenagers.

Perky, pretty and seemingly carefree, with performances
that might appear effortless, these girls, in fact, must have what it takes
to make the grade in more ways than one.

Determination, dedication, long practice hours, a
perpetually cheerful personality, stamina, athletic ability, as well as an
abiding academic commitment, are some of the demands made on a cheerleader.

"We, as a group, practice for two hours a day,
usually four to five days a week," Van Buren said. "When getting
ready for a competition the girls might practice much longer, depending on
what it is they need to perfect for that competition. They are also
representatives of the school and that's something they must keep in mind at
all times."

For the next three weeks, per an instructional DVD
forwarded by ESP Productions, the team will rehearse for endless hours, the
routine it must perform flawlessly at the halftime show before an audience of
millions.

No pressure there - and remember to smile.

"It's an event sure to stay in their memories
forever. They are very pumped up about this," Van Buren said.

To donate to the trip, contact Van Buren at the school at
(810) 392-2186.